Food stamps may be banned for purchases at pot shops in Colorado

Republican legislatures in Colorado have proposed a bill this week in Colorado which would include marijuana dispensaries to the places that public assistance payment recipients and food stamp recipients would not be able to use their electronic benefits cards to get cash, according to ABC News on Friday. There are already laws in place which disallow recipients of public assistance payments and food stamps from obtaining cash at casinos, gun shops, and liquor stores by using their forms of public assistnace.

Thus far, there have not been reports stating that public EBT cards have been used at marijuana dispensaries, but the Republican lawmakers want “pot shops” on the list of places where cash cannot be accessed via government-assistance means for persons using their public-assistance funds. They want it to be illegal – on the state’s law books.

Colorado’s Republican Rep. Jared Wright said that the law is needed “if for nothing else, as a statement.” He said that the state should not be enabling anyone to buy a substance that is banned under federal law – which marijuana is. He believes it is not a good use of the taxpayer’s money.

The bill also aims to ban the use of public EBT at sex shops and other such adult businesses. The use of public EBT cards is already banned by the federal government at such places of businesses.

On the first of the New Year, the sale of recreational marijuana became legal in Colorado. Of course, the marijuana items include foods and drinks with marijuana as an ingredient.